ISRAEL
Rense: Jerusalem Post Says 'Kill Arafat'
The Jerusalem Post took a strong editorial stand today, calling on Israel to kill Yasser Arafat: "The world will not help us; we must help ourselves. We must kill as many of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders as possible, as quickly as possible, while minimizing collateral damage, but not letting that damage stop us. And we must kill Yasser Arafat, because the world leaves us no alternative."
Friday, September 12, 2003
USA
Commondreams: The Genetically Modified Bomb
Imagine a bomb that only kills Caucasians with red hair. Or short people. Or Arabs. Or Chinese.
Now imagine that this new bomb could be set off anywhere in the world, and that within a matter of days, weeks, or months it would kill every person on the planet who fits the bomb's profile, although the rest of us would be left standing. And the bomb could go off silently, without anybody realizing it had been released - or even where it was released - until its victims started dying in mass numbers.
Who would imagine such a thing?
Paul Wolfowitz, for one. William Kristol for another.
Consider what would happen if there was a virus or bacteria that only infected a particular type of person, killing, disabling, or sterilizing only those of a particular genetic profile. Consider the political leverage a nation would have if they could credibly threaten the extinction of all people worldwide with almond-shaped eyes, or the sterilization of everybody with a gene that tracks them back to a common ancestor or region.
Three years ago, Wolfowitz, Kristol, and their colleagues suggested this is something the Pentagon should be thinking about. Not just germ warfare, but gene warfare.
Genetically targeted weapons could change world politics forever, according to PNAC.
"And," their report notes, "advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool."
Commondreams: The Genetically Modified Bomb
Imagine a bomb that only kills Caucasians with red hair. Or short people. Or Arabs. Or Chinese.
Now imagine that this new bomb could be set off anywhere in the world, and that within a matter of days, weeks, or months it would kill every person on the planet who fits the bomb's profile, although the rest of us would be left standing. And the bomb could go off silently, without anybody realizing it had been released - or even where it was released - until its victims started dying in mass numbers.
Who would imagine such a thing?
Paul Wolfowitz, for one. William Kristol for another.
Consider what would happen if there was a virus or bacteria that only infected a particular type of person, killing, disabling, or sterilizing only those of a particular genetic profile. Consider the political leverage a nation would have if they could credibly threaten the extinction of all people worldwide with almond-shaped eyes, or the sterilization of everybody with a gene that tracks them back to a common ancestor or region.
Three years ago, Wolfowitz, Kristol, and their colleagues suggested this is something the Pentagon should be thinking about. Not just germ warfare, but gene warfare.
Genetically targeted weapons could change world politics forever, according to PNAC.
"And," their report notes, "advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool."
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Al-Jazeera: World leaders unite behind Arafat
World leaders have united in condemnation of Israel’s move to expel the Palestinian president, Yasir Arafat, from his Ram Allah headquarters in the West Bank.
The veteran leader’s supporters rallied in tens of thousands, vowing to support him despite the Israeli security cabinet's decision in principle to spirit him out of the Palestinian territories and into exile.
Russia called the plan a "serious political mistake with the most negative consequences," on Friday.
"Such a step would remove the possibility of peacefully
resolving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and would lead to an
uncontrollable chain of events in the worst case scenario," said a statement issued by Russia's foreign ministry.
A senior US administration official said once again that Washington would not work with Arafat but opposed expelling him because that would only give him "a wider international stage."
Al-Jazeera: World leaders unite behind Arafat
World leaders have united in condemnation of Israel’s move to expel the Palestinian president, Yasir Arafat, from his Ram Allah headquarters in the West Bank.
The veteran leader’s supporters rallied in tens of thousands, vowing to support him despite the Israeli security cabinet's decision in principle to spirit him out of the Palestinian territories and into exile.
Russia called the plan a "serious political mistake with the most negative consequences," on Friday.
"Such a step would remove the possibility of peacefully
resolving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and would lead to an
uncontrollable chain of events in the worst case scenario," said a statement issued by Russia's foreign ministry.
A senior US administration official said once again that Washington would not work with Arafat but opposed expelling him because that would only give him "a wider international stage."
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Spiegel: "Niemand kann mich rauswerfen"
Die USA haben Israel davor gewarnt, Jassir Arafat auszuweisen. Der Palästinenserchef stellte klar, dass er das Westjordanland nicht freiwillig verlassen will. Er rechne damit, ermordet zu werden
Washington/Ramallah - Washington glaube nicht, dass eine Ausweisung Arafats für den Nahost-Friedensprozess hilfreich wäre, sagte Richard Boucher, Sprecher des US-Außenministeriums. Arafat sei zwar "Teil des Problems und nicht Teil der Lösung", erklärte der Sprecher, "aber wir glauben nicht, dass es hilfreich wäre, ihn auszuweisen, da ihm das nur eine neue Bühne geben würde". Er sei überzeugt, dass Israel die klare Haltung der USA in dieser Frage kenne, sagte Boucher.
US-Außenminister Colin Powell forderte Israel in einem Interview mit dem arabischen Sender al-Dschasira auf, den Ausbau der Siedlungen in den besetzten Gebieten einzustellen und die illegalen Außenposten zu räumen. Auch der Sicherheitszaun, den Israel an der Grenze zu den palästinensischen Gebieten baue, sei ein Problem. Angesichts des anhaltenden Terrors der Hamas und anderer Organisationen sei es aber schwierig, die Einhaltung dieser Verpflichtungen von Israel zu erreichen.
Spiegel: "Niemand kann mich rauswerfen"
Die USA haben Israel davor gewarnt, Jassir Arafat auszuweisen. Der Palästinenserchef stellte klar, dass er das Westjordanland nicht freiwillig verlassen will. Er rechne damit, ermordet zu werden
Washington/Ramallah - Washington glaube nicht, dass eine Ausweisung Arafats für den Nahost-Friedensprozess hilfreich wäre, sagte Richard Boucher, Sprecher des US-Außenministeriums. Arafat sei zwar "Teil des Problems und nicht Teil der Lösung", erklärte der Sprecher, "aber wir glauben nicht, dass es hilfreich wäre, ihn auszuweisen, da ihm das nur eine neue Bühne geben würde". Er sei überzeugt, dass Israel die klare Haltung der USA in dieser Frage kenne, sagte Boucher.
US-Außenminister Colin Powell forderte Israel in einem Interview mit dem arabischen Sender al-Dschasira auf, den Ausbau der Siedlungen in den besetzten Gebieten einzustellen und die illegalen Außenposten zu räumen. Auch der Sicherheitszaun, den Israel an der Grenze zu den palästinensischen Gebieten baue, sei ein Problem. Angesichts des anhaltenden Terrors der Hamas und anderer Organisationen sei es aber schwierig, die Einhaltung dieser Verpflichtungen von Israel zu erreichen.
ANTI WTO
Guardian: The slaves of money - and our rebellion by Subcomandante Marcos, Thursday September 11, 2003
Brothers and sisters of Mexico and the world, who are gathered in Cancun in a mobilisation against neo-liberalism, greetings from the men, women, children and elderly of the Zapatista National Liberation Army. It is an honour for us that, amid your meetings, agreements and mobilisations, you have found time and place to hear our words.
The world movement against the globalisation of death and destruction is experiencing one of its brightest moments in Cancun today. Not far from where you are meeting, a handful of slaves to money are negotiating the ways and means of continuing the crime of globalisation.
The difference between them and all of us is not in the pockets of one or the other, although their pockets overflow with money while ours overflow with hope.
No, the difference is not in the wallet, but in the heart. You and we have in our hearts a future to build. They only have the past which they want to repeat eternally. We have hope. They have death. We have liberty. They want to enslave us.
Guardian: The slaves of money - and our rebellion by Subcomandante Marcos, Thursday September 11, 2003
Brothers and sisters of Mexico and the world, who are gathered in Cancun in a mobilisation against neo-liberalism, greetings from the men, women, children and elderly of the Zapatista National Liberation Army. It is an honour for us that, amid your meetings, agreements and mobilisations, you have found time and place to hear our words.
The world movement against the globalisation of death and destruction is experiencing one of its brightest moments in Cancun today. Not far from where you are meeting, a handful of slaves to money are negotiating the ways and means of continuing the crime of globalisation.
The difference between them and all of us is not in the pockets of one or the other, although their pockets overflow with money while ours overflow with hope.
No, the difference is not in the wallet, but in the heart. You and we have in our hearts a future to build. They only have the past which they want to repeat eternally. We have hope. They have death. We have liberty. They want to enslave us.
Thursday, September 11, 2003
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Al-Jazeera: Arafat may not survive next 24 hours
The future of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat is hanging by a thread, according to senior diplomats.
Israeli health minister Danny Narveh told a number of UN and other officials during an informal chat on Wednesday that Arafat must be physically removed from his Ramallah base.
In a stark warning amid increasing tension, one of the western diplomats at the Narveh briefing described the next 24 hours as critical ... and he made it clear his express concern focussed on Arafat's personal safety.
On condition of anonymity, the official told Aljazeera.net on Wednesday that Yasir Arafat may not remain in the Palestinian territories once Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returns from India.
Sharon is due back in Israel by 01:00
Al-Jazeera: Arafat may not survive next 24 hours
The future of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat is hanging by a thread, according to senior diplomats.
Israeli health minister Danny Narveh told a number of UN and other officials during an informal chat on Wednesday that Arafat must be physically removed from his Ramallah base.
In a stark warning amid increasing tension, one of the western diplomats at the Narveh briefing described the next 24 hours as critical ... and he made it clear his express concern focussed on Arafat's personal safety.
On condition of anonymity, the official told Aljazeera.net on Wednesday that Yasir Arafat may not remain in the Palestinian territories once Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returns from India.
Sharon is due back in Israel by 01:00
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Al-Jazeera: Israel decides to expel Arafat
Israel's security cabinet on Thursday agreed in principle to expel Palestinian President Yasir Arafat from the region.
But an immediate expulsion of the 74-year old Palestinian leader has been kept on hold for the time being keeping in view US opposition.
Palestinians reacted to the Israeli decision with unrestrained rage, saying the move would destabilize the region.
"Arafat is an obstacle to peace and Israel will take steps to rid itself of that obstacle," an Israeli cabinet statement said.
The Israeli army has meanwhile been asked to prepare a plan for Arafat's exile.
The decision to expel Arafat came amid growing calls from rabid Israelis to either expel or kill the Palestinian leader.
The Jerusalem Post told its readers on Thursday that "we must kill Yasir Arafat because the world leaves us no alternative…if we are going to be condemned in any case, we might as well do it."
"Es wird immer Besser. Vom Volk gewählte Gewaehlte Praesidenten werden aus dem eigenen Land gejagt. Eine Israelische Zeitung ruf zum Mord an Araft auf. Ein Hoch auf die "einzige Demokratie" im Nahen Osten"
Al-Jazeera: Israel decides to expel Arafat
Israel's security cabinet on Thursday agreed in principle to expel Palestinian President Yasir Arafat from the region.
But an immediate expulsion of the 74-year old Palestinian leader has been kept on hold for the time being keeping in view US opposition.
Palestinians reacted to the Israeli decision with unrestrained rage, saying the move would destabilize the region.
"Arafat is an obstacle to peace and Israel will take steps to rid itself of that obstacle," an Israeli cabinet statement said.
The Israeli army has meanwhile been asked to prepare a plan for Arafat's exile.
The decision to expel Arafat came amid growing calls from rabid Israelis to either expel or kill the Palestinian leader.
The Jerusalem Post told its readers on Thursday that "we must kill Yasir Arafat because the world leaves us no alternative…if we are going to be condemned in any case, we might as well do it."
"Es wird immer Besser. Vom Volk gewählte Gewaehlte Praesidenten werden aus dem eigenen Land gejagt. Eine Israelische Zeitung ruf zum Mord an Araft auf. Ein Hoch auf die "einzige Demokratie" im Nahen Osten"
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Reuters: Israel Wants to Expel Arafat - But Not Yet
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's security cabinet agreed in principle on Thursday to exile Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, but not immediately, sources close to the government said.
One source said the security cabinet decided to ask the army to prepare a plan for Arafat's exile from the region but decided against swift expulsion because of U.S. opposition.
A senior Palestinian official denounced Israel's decision, saying exiling Arafat would destabilize the Middle East.
"Harming Arafat or expelling him will destabilize the region and will only bring disaster to the Israeli people," the official said.
The United States also opposed expelling Arafat, but for different reasons, saying it would give him greater publicity.
"We don't believe that dealing with Mr. Arafat ... through expulsion is going to be helpful at all with the situation," a State Department spokesman said.
"It would just give him another stage to play on."
Reuters: Israel Wants to Expel Arafat - But Not Yet
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's security cabinet agreed in principle on Thursday to exile Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, but not immediately, sources close to the government said.
One source said the security cabinet decided to ask the army to prepare a plan for Arafat's exile from the region but decided against swift expulsion because of U.S. opposition.
A senior Palestinian official denounced Israel's decision, saying exiling Arafat would destabilize the Middle East.
"Harming Arafat or expelling him will destabilize the region and will only bring disaster to the Israeli people," the official said.
The United States also opposed expelling Arafat, but for different reasons, saying it would give him greater publicity.
"We don't believe that dealing with Mr. Arafat ... through expulsion is going to be helpful at all with the situation," a State Department spokesman said.
"It would just give him another stage to play on."
911 MEDIA
Slate: How Far Can You Trust Anonymice?
Reading the week's leakiest stories.
trust all leakers and anonymous sources—I trust them to give a selective account that will benefit them, one that pleases their patrons and screws their enemies. Telling the truth, I guarantee you, ranks very low on most leakers' list of motives.
Not every anonymously sourced article is suspect, but every anonymously sourced article invites the reader to ask why the reporter agreed to camouflage his source and what hidden agenda might be operating.
For instance, yesterday's New York Times extended the protective coloration of anonymity in a very dubious fashion to a Saudi official in David Johnston's "Official Says Qaeda Recruited Saudi Hijackers To Strain Ties." The Saudi official alleges that Osama Bin Laden told Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of 9/11's architects, to recruit Saudis for the attacks because their presence would injure U.S.-Saudi relations—"they wanted to strike Saudi Arabia as much as they wanted to hit the United States." The Saudi claims American officials told him this after the capture and interrogation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but he doesn't name the American officials.
Why, exactly, should the New York Times allow a Saudi official to advance such a hearsay story, one without a shred of confirmation from any corner, without requiring him to put his name to it? (Prince Bandar, is that you?) Like all anonymously sourced articles, this piece should be met with a barrage of doubting questions. Who benefits from this story? How good is the information? What motive might the leaking source have for giving the story? Obviously, the Saudis benefit from the story because it makes them "victims." Reporter Johnston benefits, too. His Saudi source owes him a future draft pick or something for getting the self-serving story into print.
Slate: How Far Can You Trust Anonymice?
Reading the week's leakiest stories.
trust all leakers and anonymous sources—I trust them to give a selective account that will benefit them, one that pleases their patrons and screws their enemies. Telling the truth, I guarantee you, ranks very low on most leakers' list of motives.
Not every anonymously sourced article is suspect, but every anonymously sourced article invites the reader to ask why the reporter agreed to camouflage his source and what hidden agenda might be operating.
For instance, yesterday's New York Times extended the protective coloration of anonymity in a very dubious fashion to a Saudi official in David Johnston's "Official Says Qaeda Recruited Saudi Hijackers To Strain Ties." The Saudi official alleges that Osama Bin Laden told Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of 9/11's architects, to recruit Saudis for the attacks because their presence would injure U.S.-Saudi relations—"they wanted to strike Saudi Arabia as much as they wanted to hit the United States." The Saudi claims American officials told him this after the capture and interrogation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but he doesn't name the American officials.
Why, exactly, should the New York Times allow a Saudi official to advance such a hearsay story, one without a shred of confirmation from any corner, without requiring him to put his name to it? (Prince Bandar, is that you?) Like all anonymously sourced articles, this piece should be met with a barrage of doubting questions. Who benefits from this story? How good is the information? What motive might the leaking source have for giving the story? Obviously, the Saudis benefit from the story because it makes them "victims." Reporter Johnston benefits, too. His Saudi source owes him a future draft pick or something for getting the self-serving story into print.
911
MSNBC/Slate: Did the Media Misreport Zacarias Moussaoui's Suspicious Activities?
In the last week, Time, USA Today, and CNN all reported that accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui asked his Minnesota flight instructors to teach him how to steer a 747 but not take off or land. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd repeated the claim last Sunday. Is it fact or urban myth?
Urban myth. The facts are just the opposite: Moussaoui told his Eagan, Minn., instructors he wanted to learn only how to take off and land.
American newspapers began reporting the false story—usually sourced to anonymous government and intelligence officials—on Sept. 17. FBI Director Robert Mueller set the record straight at a Nov. 14 meeting with federal prosecutors, covered by the Associated Press and the Washington Post, and again in a Nov. 15 meeting with reporters, covered by the New York Times. An assistant director of the FBI reiterated Mueller's correction in his Feb. 6 statement to the Senate Intelligence Committee
SLATE: What You Think You Know About Sept. 11 …
The Saudi government paid off al-Qaida in exchange for immunity from terror attacks. Saudi princes knew in advance about the Sept. 11 attacks. Most of the Saudi officials who assisted al-Qaida all died mysteriously soon thereafter. The revelations in Gerald Posner's new book Why America Slept are an astonishing reminder of just how much we still don't know about Sept. 11 and its planning.
But there is also plenty that we think we know but don't. I'm not talking about shoddy conspiracy theories (that Jews were warned not to show up for work at the World Trade Center, for example) believed by the ignorant and the paranoid, but widespread misconceptions held by everyday Americans. Here are six of the most common:
MSNBC/Slate: Did the Media Misreport Zacarias Moussaoui's Suspicious Activities?
In the last week, Time, USA Today, and CNN all reported that accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui asked his Minnesota flight instructors to teach him how to steer a 747 but not take off or land. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd repeated the claim last Sunday. Is it fact or urban myth?
Urban myth. The facts are just the opposite: Moussaoui told his Eagan, Minn., instructors he wanted to learn only how to take off and land.
American newspapers began reporting the false story—usually sourced to anonymous government and intelligence officials—on Sept. 17. FBI Director Robert Mueller set the record straight at a Nov. 14 meeting with federal prosecutors, covered by the Associated Press and the Washington Post, and again in a Nov. 15 meeting with reporters, covered by the New York Times. An assistant director of the FBI reiterated Mueller's correction in his Feb. 6 statement to the Senate Intelligence Committee
SLATE: What You Think You Know About Sept. 11 …
The Saudi government paid off al-Qaida in exchange for immunity from terror attacks. Saudi princes knew in advance about the Sept. 11 attacks. Most of the Saudi officials who assisted al-Qaida all died mysteriously soon thereafter. The revelations in Gerald Posner's new book Why America Slept are an astonishing reminder of just how much we still don't know about Sept. 11 and its planning.
But there is also plenty that we think we know but don't. I'm not talking about shoddy conspiracy theories (that Jews were warned not to show up for work at the World Trade Center, for example) believed by the ignorant and the paranoid, but widespread misconceptions held by everyday Americans. Here are six of the most common:
USA
Indymedia: 40 YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS
speech writ. 8/13/03] Copyright 2003, Mumia Abu-Jamal, M.A.
It's been 40 long years since the much-heralded "March on Washington." Almost 1/2 a century -- and what is our condition today?
Our communities are ravaged from crumbling poverty, crumbling schools, bumbling politicians and brutal cops. Our culture has been ghettoized by increased corporate exploitation and the destruction of a sense of community. While hip-hoppers sing of play gangstas, the State engages in legalized gangsterism against Black folks.
At the very time that Rev. Martin King was making a speech about his Dream in Washington, the FBI was waging a secret war against Rev. King and anybody else who questioned the status quo. Within weeks of his speech, FBI agents were plotting how to place a good-looking woman in his offices to lure him into a sex scandal. In Jan. 1964, the FBI's #2 man, William Sullivan announced, "We regard Martin Luther King as *the most dangerous and effective Negro leader in the country."* They tried to find a "safe" Negro leader to "replace" him; for they saw him as too 'radical.' 4 years later and he would be gone.
Rev. King perhaps dreamed of many things as he tried to peer into America's future, but I doubt he foresaw the grim reality that we live in now; I doubt he saw this dark, cheapened future that is bleaker than "Blade Runner" for millions of black youth; who are barely tolerated, if they are lucky; and all but ignored as they are shuttled into stationary slave ships (prisons) where ignorance and racism is the rule; brutality and hopelessness the norm; and where, thanx to the 'good brotha', Bill Clinton (who someone called the 1st Black president!) education is, under his 1994 Crime Bill, virtually illegal!
"CHECK IT"
Indymedia: 40 YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS
speech writ. 8/13/03] Copyright 2003, Mumia Abu-Jamal, M.A.
It's been 40 long years since the much-heralded "March on Washington." Almost 1/2 a century -- and what is our condition today?
Our communities are ravaged from crumbling poverty, crumbling schools, bumbling politicians and brutal cops. Our culture has been ghettoized by increased corporate exploitation and the destruction of a sense of community. While hip-hoppers sing of play gangstas, the State engages in legalized gangsterism against Black folks.
At the very time that Rev. Martin King was making a speech about his Dream in Washington, the FBI was waging a secret war against Rev. King and anybody else who questioned the status quo. Within weeks of his speech, FBI agents were plotting how to place a good-looking woman in his offices to lure him into a sex scandal. In Jan. 1964, the FBI's #2 man, William Sullivan announced, "We regard Martin Luther King as *the most dangerous and effective Negro leader in the country."* They tried to find a "safe" Negro leader to "replace" him; for they saw him as too 'radical.' 4 years later and he would be gone.
Rev. King perhaps dreamed of many things as he tried to peer into America's future, but I doubt he foresaw the grim reality that we live in now; I doubt he saw this dark, cheapened future that is bleaker than "Blade Runner" for millions of black youth; who are barely tolerated, if they are lucky; and all but ignored as they are shuttled into stationary slave ships (prisons) where ignorance and racism is the rule; brutality and hopelessness the norm; and where, thanx to the 'good brotha', Bill Clinton (who someone called the 1st Black president!) education is, under his 1994 Crime Bill, virtually illegal!
"CHECK IT"
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Washington Times: Bomber Kills 3 Near U.S. Compound in Iraq
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) -- A suicide bomber tried to drive a TNT-laden SUV into a U.S. intelligence compound in northern Iraq, but it blew up short of the target, killing three people and seriously wounding four American intelligence officers, officials said Wednesday.
A Kurdish security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said al-Qaida was behind the bombing in Irbil late Tuesday, less than two days before second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. He gave no evidence to support the claim.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, two U.S. soldiers were killed by bombs in separate incidents.
Washington Times: Bomber Kills 3 Near U.S. Compound in Iraq
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) -- A suicide bomber tried to drive a TNT-laden SUV into a U.S. intelligence compound in northern Iraq, but it blew up short of the target, killing three people and seriously wounding four American intelligence officers, officials said Wednesday.
A Kurdish security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said al-Qaida was behind the bombing in Irbil late Tuesday, less than two days before second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. He gave no evidence to support the claim.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, two U.S. soldiers were killed by bombs in separate incidents.
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Washington Post: Spy Agencies Warned of Iraq Resistance
U.S. intelligence agencies warned Bush administration policymakers before the war in Iraq that there would be significant armed opposition to a U.S.-led occupation, according to administration and congressional sources familiar with the reports
Although general in nature, the sources said, the intelligence agencies' concerns about the degree of resistance U.S. forces would encounter have proved broadly accurate in the months since the ouster of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his inner circle.
"Amerika hat unglaublich gute Geheimdienste. Die haben sogar schon vor dem Krieg damit gerechnet das es unter Umstaenden Wiederstand geben koennte. Eigentlich haben alle Kommentatoren und Analysten die Ernst zu nehmen sind (dass heisst die, die auch anderes als Propaganda schreiben) davor gewarnt und zwar Monate vor dem Krieg. Vielleicht sollten die USA die Geheimdienst-Budgets noch mehr aufstocken oder einfach Zeitung lesen anstatt den ganzen Tag Fox News zu schauen"
Washington Post: Spy Agencies Warned of Iraq Resistance
U.S. intelligence agencies warned Bush administration policymakers before the war in Iraq that there would be significant armed opposition to a U.S.-led occupation, according to administration and congressional sources familiar with the reports
Although general in nature, the sources said, the intelligence agencies' concerns about the degree of resistance U.S. forces would encounter have proved broadly accurate in the months since the ouster of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his inner circle.
"Amerika hat unglaublich gute Geheimdienste. Die haben sogar schon vor dem Krieg damit gerechnet das es unter Umstaenden Wiederstand geben koennte. Eigentlich haben alle Kommentatoren und Analysten die Ernst zu nehmen sind (dass heisst die, die auch anderes als Propaganda schreiben) davor gewarnt und zwar Monate vor dem Krieg. Vielleicht sollten die USA die Geheimdienst-Budgets noch mehr aufstocken oder einfach Zeitung lesen anstatt den ganzen Tag Fox News zu schauen"
ISRAEL
Information Clearing House: The Bombing Of The King David Hotel
The King David Hotel explosion of July 22, 1946 (Palestine), which resulted in the deaths of 92 Britons, Arabs and Jews, and in the wounding of 58, was not just an act of “Jewish extremists,” but a premeditated massacre conducted by the Irgun in agreement with the highest Jewish political authorities in Palestine-- the Jewish Agency and its head David-Ben-Gurion. According to Yitshaq Ben-Ami, a Palestinian Jew who spent 30 years in exile after the establishment of Israel investigating the crimes of the “ruthless clique heading the internal Zionist movement,” The Irgun had conceived a plan for the King David attack early in 1946, but the green light was given only on July first. According to Dr. Sneh, the operation was personally approved by Ben-Gurion, from his self-exile in Europe.
Information Clearing House: The Bombing Of The King David Hotel
The King David Hotel explosion of July 22, 1946 (Palestine), which resulted in the deaths of 92 Britons, Arabs and Jews, and in the wounding of 58, was not just an act of “Jewish extremists,” but a premeditated massacre conducted by the Irgun in agreement with the highest Jewish political authorities in Palestine-- the Jewish Agency and its head David-Ben-Gurion. According to Yitshaq Ben-Ami, a Palestinian Jew who spent 30 years in exile after the establishment of Israel investigating the crimes of the “ruthless clique heading the internal Zionist movement,” The Irgun had conceived a plan for the King David attack early in 1946, but the green light was given only on July first. According to Dr. Sneh, the operation was personally approved by Ben-Gurion, from his self-exile in Europe.
USA/ISRAEL
Rivals Criticize Dean For Mideast
By Jim VandeHei Washington Post Staff Writer
washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, September 9, 2003; Page A02
Howard Dean came under fire yesterday from two rivals for the
Democratic nomination for saying the United States should not "take sides" in the
Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Five days after Dean told supporters in
New Mexico that "it's not our place to take sides" in the conflict, Sen.
Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) accused him of advocating a "major break" from the
United States' long-standing policy of explicitly siding with Israel in
the Middle East.
"If this is a well-thought-out position, it's a mistake, and a major
break from a half a century of American foreign policy," Lieberman said in a
statement. "If it's not, it's very important for Howard Dean, as a
candidate for president, to think before he talks."
Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) said: "It is either because he lacks the
foreign policy experience or simply because he is wrong that governor Dean has
proposed a radical shift in United States policy towards the Middle
East. If the president were to make a remark such as this it would throw an
already volatile region into even more turmoil."
In an interview, Dean sought to clarify his statement but did not back
down from his belief that the United State cannot negotiate peace unless it
is seen as a neutral party in the region. "Israel has always been a
longtime ally with a special relationship with the United States, but if we are
going to bargain by being in the middle of the negotiations then we are
going to have to take an evenhanded role," he said.
For more than 50 years, the United States has backed Israel as its
closest ally in the region, providing the Jewish state with billions of dollars
in military and humanitarian aid. Dean does not advocate breaking the
U.S.-Israeli alliance, but believes the only way to bring peace to the
Middle East is for the president to broker a deal without playing
favorites. A top Dean adviser said the former Vermont governor is doing
nothing different from what President Bill Clinton did when he reached
out to Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians as a path to peace.
Several Democrats predicted Dean would pay a political price for his
remarks. Democratic candidates receive a significant amount of money
and support from the Jewish community. It would be hard for any Democrat
considered unsympathetic toward Israel by Jewish leaders to win the
nomination, several party strategists said.
Rivals Criticize Dean For Mideast
By Jim VandeHei Washington Post Staff Writer
washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, September 9, 2003; Page A02
Howard Dean came under fire yesterday from two rivals for the
Democratic nomination for saying the United States should not "take sides" in the
Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Five days after Dean told supporters in
New Mexico that "it's not our place to take sides" in the conflict, Sen.
Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) accused him of advocating a "major break" from the
United States' long-standing policy of explicitly siding with Israel in
the Middle East.
"If this is a well-thought-out position, it's a mistake, and a major
break from a half a century of American foreign policy," Lieberman said in a
statement. "If it's not, it's very important for Howard Dean, as a
candidate for president, to think before he talks."
Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) said: "It is either because he lacks the
foreign policy experience or simply because he is wrong that governor Dean has
proposed a radical shift in United States policy towards the Middle
East. If the president were to make a remark such as this it would throw an
already volatile region into even more turmoil."
In an interview, Dean sought to clarify his statement but did not back
down from his belief that the United State cannot negotiate peace unless it
is seen as a neutral party in the region. "Israel has always been a
longtime ally with a special relationship with the United States, but if we are
going to bargain by being in the middle of the negotiations then we are
going to have to take an evenhanded role," he said.
For more than 50 years, the United States has backed Israel as its
closest ally in the region, providing the Jewish state with billions of dollars
in military and humanitarian aid. Dean does not advocate breaking the
U.S.-Israeli alliance, but believes the only way to bring peace to the
Middle East is for the president to broker a deal without playing
favorites. A top Dean adviser said the former Vermont governor is doing
nothing different from what President Bill Clinton did when he reached
out to Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians as a path to peace.
Several Democrats predicted Dean would pay a political price for his
remarks. Democratic candidates receive a significant amount of money
and support from the Jewish community. It would be hard for any Democrat
considered unsympathetic toward Israel by Jewish leaders to win the
nomination, several party strategists said.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Guardian: You can't make a deal with the dead
Killing or banning Hamas and its leaders will do nothing for peace
For a walking dead man, Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab was unimpressed by the assassins who would one day come for him. "I am not afraid," he said as we sat drinking tea in his Gaza City home. "If the Israelis want to kill me, they will. We live in war, but the Palestinians are tough enough to confront the huge power facing them. We are not afraid to die."
In terms of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Shanab was a pragmatist, credited with having helped to broker the seven-week Palestinian ceasefire. His conversation was peppered with hints that Hamas' rejectionism towards the state of Israel was tradable for withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
Shanab met his predicted end under a hail of Israeli rocket fire two weeks ago in Gaza City. His death was the 138th "targeted killing" of Palestinian militants by the Israeli military since 2000. Since Shanab's immolation, Israel has stepped up the killing game against Hamas, culminating in the failed strike against the paraplegic spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Yassin, last weekend. The total is now around 150 and rising.
But then so is the overall casualty count: 2,600 Palestinians and 840 Israelis. Hamas appears undeterred by the attrition campaign against its leadership. The materials for suicide vest bombs come cheap, around £30, and there is an endless army of Palestinian volunteers to wear them. In classic counter-insurgency warfare terms, the Israeli level of casualties, one in four, remains unsustainably high.
And as the lessons of Ireland show, Israel's counter-terrorist strategy against Hamas's political leadership is pointless and counter-productive. Like many ageing warriors, Ariel Sharon is caught up in an old war; he is re-enacting his own 1970s colonial-style pacification of Gaza and, as he notes proudly in his autobiography, the "killing of 104 terrorists" in seven months
Guardian: You can't make a deal with the dead
Killing or banning Hamas and its leaders will do nothing for peace
For a walking dead man, Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab was unimpressed by the assassins who would one day come for him. "I am not afraid," he said as we sat drinking tea in his Gaza City home. "If the Israelis want to kill me, they will. We live in war, but the Palestinians are tough enough to confront the huge power facing them. We are not afraid to die."
In terms of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Shanab was a pragmatist, credited with having helped to broker the seven-week Palestinian ceasefire. His conversation was peppered with hints that Hamas' rejectionism towards the state of Israel was tradable for withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
Shanab met his predicted end under a hail of Israeli rocket fire two weeks ago in Gaza City. His death was the 138th "targeted killing" of Palestinian militants by the Israeli military since 2000. Since Shanab's immolation, Israel has stepped up the killing game against Hamas, culminating in the failed strike against the paraplegic spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Yassin, last weekend. The total is now around 150 and rising.
But then so is the overall casualty count: 2,600 Palestinians and 840 Israelis. Hamas appears undeterred by the attrition campaign against its leadership. The materials for suicide vest bombs come cheap, around £30, and there is an endless army of Palestinian volunteers to wear them. In classic counter-insurgency warfare terms, the Israeli level of casualties, one in four, remains unsustainably high.
And as the lessons of Ireland show, Israel's counter-terrorist strategy against Hamas's political leadership is pointless and counter-productive. Like many ageing warriors, Ariel Sharon is caught up in an old war; he is re-enacting his own 1970s colonial-style pacification of Gaza and, as he notes proudly in his autobiography, the "killing of 104 terrorists" in seven months
IRAQ
SMH: Annan calls emergency summit on Iraq
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has urged the foreign
ministers of all five permanent members of the UN Security Council to
meet
in Geneva this weekend to try to find a way to stabilise Iraq. Mr
Annan
told reporters in New York on Monday that he called the meeting of the
ministers - who represent France, the United States, Britain, Russia
and
China - in an attempt to heal "deep divisions" in the Security Council.
The council split over US President George Bush's decision to launch an
attack on Baghdad without the UN's approval, and it has since been
reluctant to help the US, as it battles to maintain control of the
country.
SMH: Annan calls emergency summit on Iraq
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has urged the foreign
ministers of all five permanent members of the UN Security Council to
meet
in Geneva this weekend to try to find a way to stabilise Iraq. Mr
Annan
told reporters in New York on Monday that he called the meeting of the
ministers - who represent France, the United States, Britain, Russia
and
China - in an attempt to heal "deep divisions" in the Security Council.
The council split over US President George Bush's decision to launch an
attack on Baghdad without the UN's approval, and it has since been
reluctant to help the US, as it battles to maintain control of the
country.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
IRAQ
Spiegel: DER AMERIKANISCHE GULAG
Seit dem 11. September fallen Menschenrechte und Rechtsstaatlichkeit dem Krieg gegen den Terror zum Opfer. Doch während die US-Army Camp Delta in Guantánamo Bay langsam zum Vorzeigegefängnis umbaut, geht es in anderen Lagern brutaler zu. In Afghanistan sind bereits drei Inhaftierte ums Leben gekommen, die Anwälte sind machtlos.
Najeeb Al-Nauimi aus Qatar ist der Rechtsanwalt, der die Haftbedingungen der rund tausend von der US-Army als Terrorverdächtige Internierten am besten kennt. Der ehemalige Justizminister des Golfstaates Qatar vertritt 96 Männer, die in Camp Delta auf Kuba einsitzen oder einsaßen.
Aus Briefen der Häftlinge und Gespräche mit deren Verwandten hat er folgendes Bild gewonnen: Zwar genügten die Haftbedingungen dort nicht den internationalen Standards, doch im Vergleich zum Gefangenenlager im US-Stützpunkt Bagram in Afghanistan sieht er Camp Delta fast wie ein Erholungsheim. "Alle meine Mandanten, die zuvor in Afghanistan einsassen", sagt Al-Nauimi, "berichteten, sie seien der Hölle entkommen."
Der auf Kuba internierte Moazzam Begg aus Birmingham schrieb an seine Familie, dass er in Bagram ein Jahr lang in einem alten Schiffscontainer in Einzelhaft gehalten wurde. In dem Stützpunkt 50 Kilometer nördlich von Kabul hatte der Vater von vier Kindern demnach in dieser Zeit nur zwei Minuten lang das Tageslicht gesehen.
Donald Rumsfeld dagegen besteht darauf, dass die Behandlung der Gefangenen "ordentlich und human" sei. Immerhin handele es sich bei ihnen um die "die Schlechtesten der Schlechtesten."
Im Juni, so berichteten britische Zeitungen, vergab das Pentagon den Auftrag für die Errichtung eines Hinrichtungstrakts für 7,8 Millionen Dollar. In dem Exekutionsraum - in dem lediglich ein massive Liege steht, auf der die Verurteilten festgeschnallt werden - sollen die Delinquenten ihre Todesspritze bekommen. Bauen soll das Ensemble eine Firma aus dem texanischen Houston: eine Tochterfirma des Konzerns Haliburton, dem Dick Cheney vorstand, bevor er Vizepräsident wurde.
Spiegel: DER AMERIKANISCHE GULAG
Seit dem 11. September fallen Menschenrechte und Rechtsstaatlichkeit dem Krieg gegen den Terror zum Opfer. Doch während die US-Army Camp Delta in Guantánamo Bay langsam zum Vorzeigegefängnis umbaut, geht es in anderen Lagern brutaler zu. In Afghanistan sind bereits drei Inhaftierte ums Leben gekommen, die Anwälte sind machtlos.
Najeeb Al-Nauimi aus Qatar ist der Rechtsanwalt, der die Haftbedingungen der rund tausend von der US-Army als Terrorverdächtige Internierten am besten kennt. Der ehemalige Justizminister des Golfstaates Qatar vertritt 96 Männer, die in Camp Delta auf Kuba einsitzen oder einsaßen.
Aus Briefen der Häftlinge und Gespräche mit deren Verwandten hat er folgendes Bild gewonnen: Zwar genügten die Haftbedingungen dort nicht den internationalen Standards, doch im Vergleich zum Gefangenenlager im US-Stützpunkt Bagram in Afghanistan sieht er Camp Delta fast wie ein Erholungsheim. "Alle meine Mandanten, die zuvor in Afghanistan einsassen", sagt Al-Nauimi, "berichteten, sie seien der Hölle entkommen."
Der auf Kuba internierte Moazzam Begg aus Birmingham schrieb an seine Familie, dass er in Bagram ein Jahr lang in einem alten Schiffscontainer in Einzelhaft gehalten wurde. In dem Stützpunkt 50 Kilometer nördlich von Kabul hatte der Vater von vier Kindern demnach in dieser Zeit nur zwei Minuten lang das Tageslicht gesehen.
Donald Rumsfeld dagegen besteht darauf, dass die Behandlung der Gefangenen "ordentlich und human" sei. Immerhin handele es sich bei ihnen um die "die Schlechtesten der Schlechtesten."
Im Juni, so berichteten britische Zeitungen, vergab das Pentagon den Auftrag für die Errichtung eines Hinrichtungstrakts für 7,8 Millionen Dollar. In dem Exekutionsraum - in dem lediglich ein massive Liege steht, auf der die Verurteilten festgeschnallt werden - sollen die Delinquenten ihre Todesspritze bekommen. Bauen soll das Ensemble eine Firma aus dem texanischen Houston: eine Tochterfirma des Konzerns Haliburton, dem Dick Cheney vorstand, bevor er Vizepräsident wurde.
IRAQ
RAND Corp. : Iraq: 500,000 Troops Needed - Entire US Army 480,000
The Inescapable Responsibility of the World's Only Superpower
Applying the Lessons to Iraq
The challenges facing the United States in Iraq today are formidable. Still, it is possible to draw valuable lessons from America's previous experiences with nation-building. There are four main lessons to be learned for Iraq.
The first lesson is that democratic nation-building can work given sufficient inputs of resources. These inputs, however, can be very high. Regarding military forces, Figure 3 takes the numbers of troops used in the previous cases of nation-building and projects, for each, a proportionally equivalent force for the Iraqi population over the next decade. For example, if Kosovo levels of troop commitments were deployed to Iraq, the number would be some 500,000 U.S. and coalition troops through 2005. (There are roughly 150,000 coalition troops stationed in Iraq today.) To provide troop coverage at Bosnia levels, the requisite troop figures would be 460,000 initially, falling to 258,000 by 2005 and 145,000 by 2008.
In addition to military forces, it is often important to deploy a significant number of international civil police. To achieve a level comparable to the nearly 5,000 police deployed in Kosovo, Iraq would need an infusion of 53,000 international civil police officers through 2005 (in addition to the forces represented in Figure 3).
RAND Corp. : Iraq: 500,000 Troops Needed - Entire US Army 480,000
The Inescapable Responsibility of the World's Only Superpower
Applying the Lessons to Iraq
The challenges facing the United States in Iraq today are formidable. Still, it is possible to draw valuable lessons from America's previous experiences with nation-building. There are four main lessons to be learned for Iraq.
The first lesson is that democratic nation-building can work given sufficient inputs of resources. These inputs, however, can be very high. Regarding military forces, Figure 3 takes the numbers of troops used in the previous cases of nation-building and projects, for each, a proportionally equivalent force for the Iraqi population over the next decade. For example, if Kosovo levels of troop commitments were deployed to Iraq, the number would be some 500,000 U.S. and coalition troops through 2005. (There are roughly 150,000 coalition troops stationed in Iraq today.) To provide troop coverage at Bosnia levels, the requisite troop figures would be 460,000 initially, falling to 258,000 by 2005 and 145,000 by 2008.
In addition to military forces, it is often important to deploy a significant number of international civil police. To achieve a level comparable to the nearly 5,000 police deployed in Kosovo, Iraq would need an infusion of 53,000 international civil police officers through 2005 (in addition to the forces represented in Figure 3).
FUCK RIAA
Yahoo: Girl, 12, Settles Piracy Suit for $2,000
WASHINGTON - A 12-year-old girl in New York who was among the first to be sued by the record industry for sharing music over the Internet is off the hook after her mother agreed Tuesday to pay $2,000 to settle the lawsuit, apologizing and admitting that her daughter's actions violated U.S. copyright laws.
The hurried settlement involving Brianna LaHara, an honors student, was the first announced one day after the Recording Industry Association of America (news - web sites) filed 261 such lawsuits across the country. Lawyers for the RIAA said Brianna's mother, Sylvia Torres, contacted them early Tuesday to negotiate.
We understand now that file-sharing the music was illegal," Torres said in a statement distributed by the recording industry. "You can be sure Brianna won't be doing it anymore."
Brianna added: "I am sorry for what I have done. I love music and don't want to hurt the artists I love."
"Da haben sich die RIAA PR-Fuzzis aber einen SUPER Spruch einfallen lassen"
Yahoo: Girl, 12, Settles Piracy Suit for $2,000
WASHINGTON - A 12-year-old girl in New York who was among the first to be sued by the record industry for sharing music over the Internet is off the hook after her mother agreed Tuesday to pay $2,000 to settle the lawsuit, apologizing and admitting that her daughter's actions violated U.S. copyright laws.
The hurried settlement involving Brianna LaHara, an honors student, was the first announced one day after the Recording Industry Association of America (news - web sites) filed 261 such lawsuits across the country. Lawyers for the RIAA said Brianna's mother, Sylvia Torres, contacted them early Tuesday to negotiate.
We understand now that file-sharing the music was illegal," Torres said in a statement distributed by the recording industry. "You can be sure Brianna won't be doing it anymore."
Brianna added: "I am sorry for what I have done. I love music and don't want to hurt the artists I love."
"Da haben sich die RIAA PR-Fuzzis aber einen SUPER Spruch einfallen lassen"
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Reuters: US Soldier Killed Another
Wounded In Iraq Attack
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - One U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded in an attack on their vehicle in Iraq, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
Attackers used a crude bomb to ambush the military vehicle along a major supply route northeast of Baghdad Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on its Web site.
Reuters: US Soldier Killed Another
Wounded In Iraq Attack
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - One U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded in an attack on their vehicle in Iraq, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
Attackers used a crude bomb to ambush the military vehicle along a major supply route northeast of Baghdad Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on its Web site.
USA: BUSH SPEECH
Rense: Ramsey Clark Responds To Bush's TV Address By Ramsey Clark
Former U.S. Attorney General
Dear VoteToImpeach Member:
Sunday night, September 7, President Bush told the American public and the world to expect more of the same from his administration. More crimes against peace and humanity, more deaths and destruction, more debts and poverty. He wants everyone to help.
President Bush has spent $79 billion attacking Afghanistan and Iraq and seeks $87 billion more for another year of violence. What he calls "one of the swiftest and most humane military campaigns in history" has taken more than 30,000 Iraqi lives, destroyed "tens of billions" in facilities essential to life, electricity, water supply, sewage disposal, according to Paul Bremer, and left the whole country destitute, in turmoil, growing violence and rage. Thousands perished in Afghanistan where the destruction remains unrepaired, the people disoriented and impoverished, the highway from Kabul to Kandahar is impassable and violence is mounting.
U.S. casualties in Iraq alone have reached 300 dead, 1200 with disabling injuries, and a total of 6000 returned to the United States in body bags, on stretchers, or sick in body or mind. U.S. soldiers are being killed at a growing rate, now 1 or 2 a day.
"CHECK IT"
Rense: Ramsey Clark Responds To Bush's TV Address By Ramsey Clark
Former U.S. Attorney General
Dear VoteToImpeach Member:
Sunday night, September 7, President Bush told the American public and the world to expect more of the same from his administration. More crimes against peace and humanity, more deaths and destruction, more debts and poverty. He wants everyone to help.
President Bush has spent $79 billion attacking Afghanistan and Iraq and seeks $87 billion more for another year of violence. What he calls "one of the swiftest and most humane military campaigns in history" has taken more than 30,000 Iraqi lives, destroyed "tens of billions" in facilities essential to life, electricity, water supply, sewage disposal, according to Paul Bremer, and left the whole country destitute, in turmoil, growing violence and rage. Thousands perished in Afghanistan where the destruction remains unrepaired, the people disoriented and impoverished, the highway from Kabul to Kandahar is impassable and violence is mounting.
U.S. casualties in Iraq alone have reached 300 dead, 1200 with disabling injuries, and a total of 6000 returned to the United States in body bags, on stretchers, or sick in body or mind. U.S. soldiers are being killed at a growing rate, now 1 or 2 a day.
"CHECK IT"
IRAQ
The new nation: How arrogant was the path to war by Robert Fisk
How arrogant was the path to war. As US President Bush now desperately tries to cajole the old UN donkey to rescue him from Iraq - he who warned us that the UN was in danger of turning into a League of Nations "talking shop" if it declined him legitimacy for his invasion - we are supposed to believe that no one in Washington could have guessed the future.
The neoconservative, pro-Israeli American "advisers" around Donald Rumsfeld - unsurprisingly silent now that their pre-war enthusiasm has trapped 146,000 American troops in the biggest rat's nest in the Middle East - say only that "mistakes" were made in their assumptions.
Messers Bush and Blair fantasized their way to war with all those mythical weapons of mass destruction and "imminent threats" from Iraq - whether of the 45-minute variety or not - and of the postwar 'liberation', 'democracy' and map-changing they were going to bestow upon the region. But the record shows just how many warnings the Bush administration received from sane and decent men in the days before we plunged into this terrible adventure.
The new nation: How arrogant was the path to war by Robert Fisk
How arrogant was the path to war. As US President Bush now desperately tries to cajole the old UN donkey to rescue him from Iraq - he who warned us that the UN was in danger of turning into a League of Nations "talking shop" if it declined him legitimacy for his invasion - we are supposed to believe that no one in Washington could have guessed the future.
The neoconservative, pro-Israeli American "advisers" around Donald Rumsfeld - unsurprisingly silent now that their pre-war enthusiasm has trapped 146,000 American troops in the biggest rat's nest in the Middle East - say only that "mistakes" were made in their assumptions.
Messers Bush and Blair fantasized their way to war with all those mythical weapons of mass destruction and "imminent threats" from Iraq - whether of the 45-minute variety or not - and of the postwar 'liberation', 'democracy' and map-changing they were going to bestow upon the region. But the record shows just how many warnings the Bush administration received from sane and decent men in the days before we plunged into this terrible adventure.
UK: DAVID KELLY
Independent: Straw admits he wanted 'killer' words in dossier
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, was forced to admit yesterday that he had wanted a "killer paragraph" inserted to the September Iraq weapons dossier and the document "strengthened" on weapons of mass destruction.
But he refused to be drawn on the extent of his own involvement in the apparent wish of two of his senior officials that the identity of David Kelly should be disclosed.
The revelations had come in documents released by the Hutton inquiry and published in The Independent yesterday. Michael Ancram, the shadow Foreign Secretary, wrote to Mr Straw demanding "full" answers. Mr Ancram said later: "The processes within Government that led to the naming of Dr Kelly are fundamental to Lord Hutton's inquiry. From the latest evidence we now know that two senior officials in Jack Straw's department were openly supporting the naming of Dr Kelly. It would be incredible if they did not consult Mr Straw on this matter. There are now serious questions regarding the role of the Foreign Secretary in both the naming of Dr Kelly and the September dossier. These need to be answered as a matter of urgency."
Independent: Straw admits he wanted 'killer' words in dossier
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, was forced to admit yesterday that he had wanted a "killer paragraph" inserted to the September Iraq weapons dossier and the document "strengthened" on weapons of mass destruction.
But he refused to be drawn on the extent of his own involvement in the apparent wish of two of his senior officials that the identity of David Kelly should be disclosed.
The revelations had come in documents released by the Hutton inquiry and published in The Independent yesterday. Michael Ancram, the shadow Foreign Secretary, wrote to Mr Straw demanding "full" answers. Mr Ancram said later: "The processes within Government that led to the naming of Dr Kelly are fundamental to Lord Hutton's inquiry. From the latest evidence we now know that two senior officials in Jack Straw's department were openly supporting the naming of Dr Kelly. It would be incredible if they did not consult Mr Straw on this matter. There are now serious questions regarding the role of the Foreign Secretary in both the naming of Dr Kelly and the September dossier. These need to be answered as a matter of urgency."
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Independent: Son killed as Hamas leader escapes Israeli air strike
Israeli warplanes today attacked the Gaza City home of a Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, in retaliation for the twin suicide bombings that killed 15 Israelis yesterday. Zahar survived with minor injuries, but a son and a bodyguard were killed.
Israel has killed 12 members of the Islamic militant group in air strikes in the past three weeks. Today was the first time it has attacked a Hamas leader in his home.
"Ich habe es schon gestern geschrieben. Die nach internationalem recht illegale ermordung von palaestinensischen fuehrern wird als vorwand für neue militaeaktionen israels genutzt. durch die ermordung von hamas fuerern werden selbstmordanschlaege provoziert um danach zu behaupten die palaestinenser wuerden nichts gegen den "terror" unternehmen und neue militaeraktionen zu rechtfertigen. Mit der toetung von hamas fuerern hat israel die roadmap begraben und mr. bush wird sich vor den wahlen 2004 hueten israel zu stoppen. Weitere anschlaege werden folgen"
Independent: Son killed as Hamas leader escapes Israeli air strike
Israeli warplanes today attacked the Gaza City home of a Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, in retaliation for the twin suicide bombings that killed 15 Israelis yesterday. Zahar survived with minor injuries, but a son and a bodyguard were killed.
Israel has killed 12 members of the Islamic militant group in air strikes in the past three weeks. Today was the first time it has attacked a Hamas leader in his home.
"Ich habe es schon gestern geschrieben. Die nach internationalem recht illegale ermordung von palaestinensischen fuehrern wird als vorwand für neue militaeaktionen israels genutzt. durch die ermordung von hamas fuerern werden selbstmordanschlaege provoziert um danach zu behaupten die palaestinenser wuerden nichts gegen den "terror" unternehmen und neue militaeraktionen zu rechtfertigen. Mit der toetung von hamas fuerern hat israel die roadmap begraben und mr. bush wird sich vor den wahlen 2004 hueten israel zu stoppen. Weitere anschlaege werden folgen"
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
IRAQ WAR
San Francisco Gate: Oval Office outrages just keep coming
Suppose you were a screenwriter and you used the Bush administration as a model for a screenplay. Do you think anyone in Hollywood would buy it?
"Not a chance," would say Steven Spielberg. "Too outlandish. Nobody would believe anything as ridiculously far-fetched as that."
"Too violent," would say Quentin Tarantino. "Too much blood, too much gore."
"Far too Machiavellian," would say Oliver Stone. "The way the backroom guys take advantage of your Colin Powell character and that Condoleezza Rice character goes beyond belief. And whoever heard of a name like 'Condoleezza' in the first place? Get real."
"It has possibilities," would say the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan. "There certainly is a lot of gallows humor in it. Trouble is, the humor isn't funny."
And so on. Nobody in Hollywood would touch such a bizarre screenplay.
Take the latest chapter of the George W. Bush saga, in which Mr. Bush and his cronies have finally realized what the rest of the world knew long before they attacked Iraq, that the war part would be relatively easy, but the aftermath would be impossible.
Now that the Bushies acknowledge that, they have the incredible chutzpah to go to the United Nations, hat in hand, and ask for help.
This is the same United Nations, bear in mind, that the Bushies said represented "old Europe" before the Iraq fiasco got under way. It is the same United Nations that was deemed irrelevant by the Bushies -- out of touch, tired and not up to 21st-century standards.
San Francisco Gate: Oval Office outrages just keep coming
Suppose you were a screenwriter and you used the Bush administration as a model for a screenplay. Do you think anyone in Hollywood would buy it?
"Not a chance," would say Steven Spielberg. "Too outlandish. Nobody would believe anything as ridiculously far-fetched as that."
"Too violent," would say Quentin Tarantino. "Too much blood, too much gore."
"Far too Machiavellian," would say Oliver Stone. "The way the backroom guys take advantage of your Colin Powell character and that Condoleezza Rice character goes beyond belief. And whoever heard of a name like 'Condoleezza' in the first place? Get real."
"It has possibilities," would say the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan. "There certainly is a lot of gallows humor in it. Trouble is, the humor isn't funny."
And so on. Nobody in Hollywood would touch such a bizarre screenplay.
Take the latest chapter of the George W. Bush saga, in which Mr. Bush and his cronies have finally realized what the rest of the world knew long before they attacked Iraq, that the war part would be relatively easy, but the aftermath would be impossible.
Now that the Bushies acknowledge that, they have the incredible chutzpah to go to the United Nations, hat in hand, and ask for help.
This is the same United Nations, bear in mind, that the Bushies said represented "old Europe" before the Iraq fiasco got under way. It is the same United Nations that was deemed irrelevant by the Bushies -- out of touch, tired and not up to 21st-century standards.
USA BLACKOUT: HAARP WEAPON
Centre for Research on Globalisation: Did a Secret Military Experiment Cause the 2003 Blackout?
Editor's Note:
We bring to our readers a highly controversial article.
While the main thesis presented is not proven, the facts and analysis presented deserve to be taken seriously. The author of this article is a scientist who works in ionospheric research and who is well informed on the impacts of the HAARP program.
In our opinion, the matter requires further investigation before arriving at a definitive statement on the causes of the blackout.
We, nonetheless, believe that the analysis and facts presented in this article warrant the attention of the various governmental agencies in the US and Canada involved in the investigation of the August 14 blackout, including the NY Public Service Commission, the Northeast Power Coordinating Council, the joint US-Canada task force and the congressional inquiry.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract.
On August 14, 2003, just a few minutes after the stock market closed for the day, a nine-minute 'event' had brought the entire Northeastern power grid down. It is believed that over fifty million people lost power that afternoon. Since this unprecedented event, blame games have flown back and forth, but no real answers have been provided. It is believed that the event originated in an area in the power grid where there is a bottleneck of power transmission between the eastern U.S. and the Midwest. But what has caused this mess? Outdated equipment, irresponsible power companies, and politicians have all been blamed without any solid evidence to support the accusations. What hasn't been suggested is the possibility that this was a secret government test that served the purpose of fulfilling requirements for sophisticated warfare and security response mechanisms
Centre for Research on Globalisation: Did a Secret Military Experiment Cause the 2003 Blackout?
Editor's Note:
We bring to our readers a highly controversial article.
While the main thesis presented is not proven, the facts and analysis presented deserve to be taken seriously. The author of this article is a scientist who works in ionospheric research and who is well informed on the impacts of the HAARP program.
In our opinion, the matter requires further investigation before arriving at a definitive statement on the causes of the blackout.
We, nonetheless, believe that the analysis and facts presented in this article warrant the attention of the various governmental agencies in the US and Canada involved in the investigation of the August 14 blackout, including the NY Public Service Commission, the Northeast Power Coordinating Council, the joint US-Canada task force and the congressional inquiry.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract.
On August 14, 2003, just a few minutes after the stock market closed for the day, a nine-minute 'event' had brought the entire Northeastern power grid down. It is believed that over fifty million people lost power that afternoon. Since this unprecedented event, blame games have flown back and forth, but no real answers have been provided. It is believed that the event originated in an area in the power grid where there is a bottleneck of power transmission between the eastern U.S. and the Midwest. But what has caused this mess? Outdated equipment, irresponsible power companies, and politicians have all been blamed without any solid evidence to support the accusations. What hasn't been suggested is the possibility that this was a secret government test that served the purpose of fulfilling requirements for sophisticated warfare and security response mechanisms
SCHWEIZ
Bern: Al-Kraida Thema im Stadparlament
Bund 4.9.2003
Berns Leid mit der Kreid
Nachschau zu Antifa und Demo-Kreide heute Abend im Stadtrat
• RUDOLF GAFNER
«Die Berner Polizei hat den Schutz des Eigentums total vernachl?ssigt, um seitens der Demonstrationsteilnehmer keine Ausschreitungen zu provozieren», sagt CVP-Stadtrat Daniel Kast, dessen Motion heute Abend im Rat behandelt wird. Der Vorstoss betrifft die neue Erscheinung an Demonstrationen, Parolen mit Kreide an W?nde zu kritzeln, statt mit Sprühfarbe zu sprayen. Der neue Trend in Szenekreisen auf Kurt Wasserfallens Vergleich von Demo-Randalierern mit Terroristen anspielend ironisch «al-Kraida» genannt trat erstmals massiv am «4. Antifaschistischen Abendspaziergang» vom M?rz 2003 auf. Nachdem im Vorjahr heftiges Sprayen zu einem Polizeieinsatz geführt hatte, unterbanden die Veranstalter dieses Jahr jegliches Sprayen auf dass aber gleichwohl «die Stadt bunt» werde, verteilten Antifas Strassenkreide.
Die Polizei sahs zun?chst recht gelassen, da die in politisch brenzliger Atmosph?re vorbereitete Demonstration sonst «ruhig» verlaufen sei; es gebe «kaum Sachbesch?digung» zu beklagen, Kreide sei ja eher leicht fortzuputzen. Das aber sahen Berns Innenstadt-Organisationen, Leiste, Gewerbetreibende und bürgerliche Politiker so auch die CVP mit ihrer aktuellen Motion g?nzlich anders:Der Trend sei «Besorgnis erregend», Kreidekritzeln sei «massive Sachbesch?digung», der «Schaden betr?chtlich», die Polizei dürfe «bei künftigen Demos keine Toleranz walten lassen».
Polizei und Regierung handelten
Die Polizei ging über die Bücher und leitete eine Kehrtwende ein: Einerseits hatte sie «die Sandstein-Problematik» zu wenig bedacht, wie es Stapo-Sprecherin Franziska Frey gestern auf Anfrage formulierte: die Kreide war nicht so leicht zu entfernen. Anderseits war die Polizei «sich der rechtlichen Situation zu wenig bewusst», wie Infochef Franz M?rki schon bei früherer Gelegenheit einr?umte: Kreidekritzeln f?llt unter Sachbesch?digung, ist bei Demonstrationen von Amts wegen zu verfolgen. Dies will die Stapo tun: «Wir haben das Ziel, das künftig zu verhindern», so Frey gestern, «Kreideln wird grunds?tzlich gleich behandelt wie Sprayen.»
Motion?r Kast wirds gern h?ren, doch der Groll darüber bleibt, dass das Entfernen «einmal mehr» den Ladenbetreibern und Hausbesitzern überlassen wurde. Und er findet, wenn die Stadt schon nicht bereit sei, Opferhilfe für Demo-Gesch?digte zu leisten (wie es die FDP gefordert hatte), solle sie immerhin per Umfrage die Sch?den erheben lassen und die Kosten «zumindest teilweise zurückerstatten».
Der Gemeinderat h?lt entgegen, Kast renne insoweit offene Türen ein, als die Exekutive «von sich aus gehandelt», «Zeichen gesetzt» habe mit dem Angebot an Private, die Kreidegraffitis auf Stadtkosten entfernen zu lassen. Wie die Regierung in ihrer Antwort auf die CVP-Motion nun bilanziert, haben 154 Eigentümer davon Gebrauch gemacht, was die Stadt rund 20'000 Franken kostete. Extra eine Umfrage zu machen, finde der Gemeinderat indes «nicht zweckdienlich».
Die S?uberungsaktion fand im Mai statt, als die Krieg-in-Irak-Demowelle und die Kreidemode verebbte. Heute, da das Parlament das Thema aufarbeitet, ist, was vor wenigen Monaten viele Gemüter erhitzte und die Polizei arg auf Trab brachte, schon wieder kein Thema mehr, fürs Erste immerhin. Für die Stapo jedenfalls ist das Leid mit der Kreid, kaum hat sie ihm den Kampf angesagt, laut Frey bereits wieder «kein Schwerpunktthema» mehr.
"In der Schweiz ist mit Kreide rummalen also Sachbeschaedigung weil die armen Arschloecher die meinen ihre Wand muesse Sauber bleiben nachher einen Kuebel Wasser rausschleppen und die Kreide runterputzen muessen. Schweiz was ist bloss los mit dir? Das naechste mal wenn ich Kinder mit Kreide auf der Strasse rumkritzeln sehe ruf ichs Sondereinsatz Kommando der Stapo und mach ne Anzeige. Da es eigentlich nicht draufankommt ob ich mit Kreide oder Spraydosen male nehm ich lieber gleich den Bitumen-Spray bei dem sie dann die Wand abschleifen koennen..."
Advertising is the public expression of wealthy people and organizations. Graffiti is the public expression of people who are more or less broke. And that is exactly why advertising is authorized and graffiti is eradicated.
Bern: Al-Kraida Thema im Stadparlament
Bund 4.9.2003
Berns Leid mit der Kreid
Nachschau zu Antifa und Demo-Kreide heute Abend im Stadtrat
• RUDOLF GAFNER
«Die Berner Polizei hat den Schutz des Eigentums total vernachl?ssigt, um seitens der Demonstrationsteilnehmer keine Ausschreitungen zu provozieren», sagt CVP-Stadtrat Daniel Kast, dessen Motion heute Abend im Rat behandelt wird. Der Vorstoss betrifft die neue Erscheinung an Demonstrationen, Parolen mit Kreide an W?nde zu kritzeln, statt mit Sprühfarbe zu sprayen. Der neue Trend in Szenekreisen auf Kurt Wasserfallens Vergleich von Demo-Randalierern mit Terroristen anspielend ironisch «al-Kraida» genannt trat erstmals massiv am «4. Antifaschistischen Abendspaziergang» vom M?rz 2003 auf. Nachdem im Vorjahr heftiges Sprayen zu einem Polizeieinsatz geführt hatte, unterbanden die Veranstalter dieses Jahr jegliches Sprayen auf dass aber gleichwohl «die Stadt bunt» werde, verteilten Antifas Strassenkreide.
Die Polizei sahs zun?chst recht gelassen, da die in politisch brenzliger Atmosph?re vorbereitete Demonstration sonst «ruhig» verlaufen sei; es gebe «kaum Sachbesch?digung» zu beklagen, Kreide sei ja eher leicht fortzuputzen. Das aber sahen Berns Innenstadt-Organisationen, Leiste, Gewerbetreibende und bürgerliche Politiker so auch die CVP mit ihrer aktuellen Motion g?nzlich anders:Der Trend sei «Besorgnis erregend», Kreidekritzeln sei «massive Sachbesch?digung», der «Schaden betr?chtlich», die Polizei dürfe «bei künftigen Demos keine Toleranz walten lassen».
Polizei und Regierung handelten
Die Polizei ging über die Bücher und leitete eine Kehrtwende ein: Einerseits hatte sie «die Sandstein-Problematik» zu wenig bedacht, wie es Stapo-Sprecherin Franziska Frey gestern auf Anfrage formulierte: die Kreide war nicht so leicht zu entfernen. Anderseits war die Polizei «sich der rechtlichen Situation zu wenig bewusst», wie Infochef Franz M?rki schon bei früherer Gelegenheit einr?umte: Kreidekritzeln f?llt unter Sachbesch?digung, ist bei Demonstrationen von Amts wegen zu verfolgen. Dies will die Stapo tun: «Wir haben das Ziel, das künftig zu verhindern», so Frey gestern, «Kreideln wird grunds?tzlich gleich behandelt wie Sprayen.»
Motion?r Kast wirds gern h?ren, doch der Groll darüber bleibt, dass das Entfernen «einmal mehr» den Ladenbetreibern und Hausbesitzern überlassen wurde. Und er findet, wenn die Stadt schon nicht bereit sei, Opferhilfe für Demo-Gesch?digte zu leisten (wie es die FDP gefordert hatte), solle sie immerhin per Umfrage die Sch?den erheben lassen und die Kosten «zumindest teilweise zurückerstatten».
Der Gemeinderat h?lt entgegen, Kast renne insoweit offene Türen ein, als die Exekutive «von sich aus gehandelt», «Zeichen gesetzt» habe mit dem Angebot an Private, die Kreidegraffitis auf Stadtkosten entfernen zu lassen. Wie die Regierung in ihrer Antwort auf die CVP-Motion nun bilanziert, haben 154 Eigentümer davon Gebrauch gemacht, was die Stadt rund 20'000 Franken kostete. Extra eine Umfrage zu machen, finde der Gemeinderat indes «nicht zweckdienlich».
Die S?uberungsaktion fand im Mai statt, als die Krieg-in-Irak-Demowelle und die Kreidemode verebbte. Heute, da das Parlament das Thema aufarbeitet, ist, was vor wenigen Monaten viele Gemüter erhitzte und die Polizei arg auf Trab brachte, schon wieder kein Thema mehr, fürs Erste immerhin. Für die Stapo jedenfalls ist das Leid mit der Kreid, kaum hat sie ihm den Kampf angesagt, laut Frey bereits wieder «kein Schwerpunktthema» mehr.
"In der Schweiz ist mit Kreide rummalen also Sachbeschaedigung weil die armen Arschloecher die meinen ihre Wand muesse Sauber bleiben nachher einen Kuebel Wasser rausschleppen und die Kreide runterputzen muessen. Schweiz was ist bloss los mit dir? Das naechste mal wenn ich Kinder mit Kreide auf der Strasse rumkritzeln sehe ruf ichs Sondereinsatz Kommando der Stapo und mach ne Anzeige. Da es eigentlich nicht draufankommt ob ich mit Kreide oder Spraydosen male nehm ich lieber gleich den Bitumen-Spray bei dem sie dann die Wand abschleifen koennen..."
Advertising is the public expression of wealthy people and organizations. Graffiti is the public expression of people who are more or less broke. And that is exactly why advertising is authorized and graffiti is eradicated.
ANTI WTO
Indymedia: Cancún/WTO: KritikerInnen überlisten Sicherheits-Dispositiv!
Nackedei gegen die WTO
Die hochgerüsteten Sicherheitskräfte im belagerten Cancún liessen sich gestern, zwei Tage vor Beginn der WTO-Konferenz, übertölpeln: 43 InternationalistInnen des „Direct Action Network“ sickerten einzeln durch die Sicherheitsschleusen durch und liessen sich unweit des Konferenzortes am Strand Playa Langosta nieder, wo sie sich plötzlich auszogen und mit ihren Körpern die Parolen „No WTO“ und „No OMC“ im Sandstrand darstellten. Bevor die verblüfften Sicherheitskräfte reagieren konnten, beendeten die Globalisierungsgegner ihre Aktion. Die Bilder des originellen Protestes in der schwer bewachten Hotelzone gingen um die Welt.
Cancún belagert
Die Mutmassungen der mexikanischen Presse über die Ereignisse der nächsten Tage gehen weit auseinander. Es sind jetzt schon fünf- bis zehntausend WTO-KritikerInnen im kleinen Touristenort an der Karibikküste präsent, schreibt die lokale Zeitung „Por esto!“; die Zahl der Demonstrierenden könnte sich leicht noch verdoppeln. Auf der anderen Seite werden die mehreren tausend KonferenzteilnehmerInnen und –MitarbeiterInnen von bis zu 20'000 Sicherheitskräften beschützt. Darunter ist insbesondere die mit militärischen Kommandostrukturen geführte „Präventivpolizei“ Policia Federal Preventiva berüchtigt. Diese Aufstandsbekämpfungseinheit hat ihr Hauptquartier im Fussballstadion „Cancún 86“ eingerichtet, das auch für Massenverhaftungen zur Verfügung stehen soll: Das Gefängnis von Cancún, das für 400 Häftlinge ausgelegt ist, sei momentan schon mit 700 „normalen“ Häftlingen überbelegt, schreibt El Proceso.
weitere Infos auf:
Indymedia
STOPWTO.TK
CANCUN Newswire
ANTI WTO SCHWEIZ
Indymedia: Cancún/WTO: KritikerInnen überlisten Sicherheits-Dispositiv!
Nackedei gegen die WTO
Die hochgerüsteten Sicherheitskräfte im belagerten Cancún liessen sich gestern, zwei Tage vor Beginn der WTO-Konferenz, übertölpeln: 43 InternationalistInnen des „Direct Action Network“ sickerten einzeln durch die Sicherheitsschleusen durch und liessen sich unweit des Konferenzortes am Strand Playa Langosta nieder, wo sie sich plötzlich auszogen und mit ihren Körpern die Parolen „No WTO“ und „No OMC“ im Sandstrand darstellten. Bevor die verblüfften Sicherheitskräfte reagieren konnten, beendeten die Globalisierungsgegner ihre Aktion. Die Bilder des originellen Protestes in der schwer bewachten Hotelzone gingen um die Welt.
Cancún belagert
Die Mutmassungen der mexikanischen Presse über die Ereignisse der nächsten Tage gehen weit auseinander. Es sind jetzt schon fünf- bis zehntausend WTO-KritikerInnen im kleinen Touristenort an der Karibikküste präsent, schreibt die lokale Zeitung „Por esto!“; die Zahl der Demonstrierenden könnte sich leicht noch verdoppeln. Auf der anderen Seite werden die mehreren tausend KonferenzteilnehmerInnen und –MitarbeiterInnen von bis zu 20'000 Sicherheitskräften beschützt. Darunter ist insbesondere die mit militärischen Kommandostrukturen geführte „Präventivpolizei“ Policia Federal Preventiva berüchtigt. Diese Aufstandsbekämpfungseinheit hat ihr Hauptquartier im Fussballstadion „Cancún 86“ eingerichtet, das auch für Massenverhaftungen zur Verfügung stehen soll: Das Gefängnis von Cancún, das für 400 Häftlinge ausgelegt ist, sei momentan schon mit 700 „normalen“ Häftlingen überbelegt, schreibt El Proceso.
weitere Infos auf:
Indymedia
STOPWTO.TK
CANCUN Newswire
ANTI WTO SCHWEIZ
ISRAEL
Spiegel: Mehrere Tote und Dutzende Verletzte bei Explosion
Bei einem Anschlag nahe eines israelischen Militärcamps bei Tel Aviv sind mehrere Menschen getötet worden. Von den mehr als 30 Verletzten wurden mindestens 15 schwer verletzt.
Jerusalem - Rettungskräften zufolge erlagen bisher mindestens vier Menschen ihren Verwundungen. Mehr als 30 Menschen wurden verletzt, darunter sind mindestens 15 Schwerverletzte. Auch der Attentäter soll unter den Toten sein.
"was fuer ne Ueberaschung, die "Terroristen" haben noch immer nicht aufgegeben"
Spiegel: Mehrere Tote und Dutzende Verletzte bei Explosion
Bei einem Anschlag nahe eines israelischen Militärcamps bei Tel Aviv sind mehrere Menschen getötet worden. Von den mehr als 30 Verletzten wurden mindestens 15 schwer verletzt.
Jerusalem - Rettungskräften zufolge erlagen bisher mindestens vier Menschen ihren Verwundungen. Mehr als 30 Menschen wurden verletzt, darunter sind mindestens 15 Schwerverletzte. Auch der Attentäter soll unter den Toten sein.
"was fuer ne Ueberaschung, die "Terroristen" haben noch immer nicht aufgegeben"
WAR ON TERROR
Globe and Mail: The fourth world war
For two years, the U.S. has pursued the culprits behind the 9/11 atrocities with a vengeance that has shocked and awed ally and enemy alike. But even the devastating attacks on the Afghan and Iraqi regimes don't illustrate the true scope of the campaign, DOUG SAUNDERS reports. While everyone was preoccupied with the fireworks, Washington has quietly deployed thousands of agents in a secretive struggle that may last a lifetime
If you happen to find yourself in Nouakchott, a dusty and rarely visited city of three million on the far western edge of the Sahara, you may be surprised to find an unlikely sort of character hanging around government buildings and better hotels. These new strangers, whose ranks have been growing steadily in recent months, are a species of serious-looking American men who bear little resemblance to the oil explorers and motorcycle adventurers who until recently were this city's only foreign visitors.
"Wiedermal geschaeften die USA im Kampf um die Weltherrschaft, mit Leuten die nichts von Demokratie halten. Die sich nachdem sie genug aufgerüstet wurden, in blutigen Bürgerkriegen wiederfinden werden oder sich gegen Amerika wenden, worauf die USA wiedermal neuen Feinden die sie selbst geschaffen haben gegenüber stehen werden"
Globe and Mail: The fourth world war
For two years, the U.S. has pursued the culprits behind the 9/11 atrocities with a vengeance that has shocked and awed ally and enemy alike. But even the devastating attacks on the Afghan and Iraqi regimes don't illustrate the true scope of the campaign, DOUG SAUNDERS reports. While everyone was preoccupied with the fireworks, Washington has quietly deployed thousands of agents in a secretive struggle that may last a lifetime
If you happen to find yourself in Nouakchott, a dusty and rarely visited city of three million on the far western edge of the Sahara, you may be surprised to find an unlikely sort of character hanging around government buildings and better hotels. These new strangers, whose ranks have been growing steadily in recent months, are a species of serious-looking American men who bear little resemblance to the oil explorers and motorcycle adventurers who until recently were this city's only foreign visitors.
"Wiedermal geschaeften die USA im Kampf um die Weltherrschaft, mit Leuten die nichts von Demokratie halten. Die sich nachdem sie genug aufgerüstet wurden, in blutigen Bürgerkriegen wiederfinden werden oder sich gegen Amerika wenden, worauf die USA wiedermal neuen Feinden die sie selbst geschaffen haben gegenüber stehen werden"
IRAQI WMD
Globe and mail: 'Unaccounted for' Iraqi weapons may be bookkeeping glitches
New York — No weapons of mass destruction have turned up in Iraq, nor has any solid new evidence for them turned up in Washington or London.
But what about Baghdad's patchy bookkeeping — the gaps that led United Nations inspectors to list Iraqi nerve agents and bioweapons material as unaccounted for?
Ex-inspectors now say, five months after the U.S. invasion, that the notorious "unaccountables" may have been no more than paperwork glitches left behind when Iraq destroyed banned chemical and biological weapons years ago.
Some may represent miscounts, they say, and some may stem from Iraqi underlings' efforts to satisfy the boss by exaggerating reports on arms output in the 1980s.
Globe and mail: 'Unaccounted for' Iraqi weapons may be bookkeeping glitches
New York — No weapons of mass destruction have turned up in Iraq, nor has any solid new evidence for them turned up in Washington or London.
But what about Baghdad's patchy bookkeeping — the gaps that led United Nations inspectors to list Iraqi nerve agents and bioweapons material as unaccounted for?
Ex-inspectors now say, five months after the U.S. invasion, that the notorious "unaccountables" may have been no more than paperwork glitches left behind when Iraq destroyed banned chemical and biological weapons years ago.
Some may represent miscounts, they say, and some may stem from Iraqi underlings' efforts to satisfy the boss by exaggerating reports on arms output in the 1980s.
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Yahoo: US-led occupation brings frontline against al-Qaeda to Iraq: analysts
The United States struggled before the war to convince the world there was a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda network, but five months of US-led occupation of Iraq may have created precisely such an unholy alliance.
Stripped of their privileged positions under the ousted dictator's brutal regime, Saddam's henchmen may finally have thrown in their lot with their ideological adversaries in Osama bin Laden's terror network to wage war on their common foe two years after the suicide hijackings in the United States, analysts say.
A quartet of arrests made by Iraqi police immediately after a massive car bombing that killed 83 people in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf last week provided the hardest evidence yet of the fledgling marriage of convenience between Saddam and the militants.
Two of the detainees were Saudis espousing al-Qaeda's militant brand of Islam. The others were former henchmen of the ousted dictator.
Yahoo: US-led occupation brings frontline against al-Qaeda to Iraq: analysts
The United States struggled before the war to convince the world there was a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda network, but five months of US-led occupation of Iraq may have created precisely such an unholy alliance.
Stripped of their privileged positions under the ousted dictator's brutal regime, Saddam's henchmen may finally have thrown in their lot with their ideological adversaries in Osama bin Laden's terror network to wage war on their common foe two years after the suicide hijackings in the United States, analysts say.
A quartet of arrests made by Iraqi police immediately after a massive car bombing that killed 83 people in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf last week provided the hardest evidence yet of the fledgling marriage of convenience between Saddam and the militants.
Two of the detainees were Saudis espousing al-Qaeda's militant brand of Islam. The others were former henchmen of the ousted dictator.
Monday, September 08, 2003
SWITZERLAND 1984
Heise: Schweizer Polizei schnüffelt Verdächtige mit Trojanern aus
Mit "Software-Wanzen" und Trojanern schnüffeln Schweizer Ermittler die Computer von Tatverdächtigen aus. Die Neue Zürcher Zeitung berichtet, die Eidgenossen folgten damit neuerdings dem Vorbild des FBI, die schon seit einiger Zeit Überwachungssoftware beispielsweise per E-Mail einschleusen. Dazu hätten Schweizer Ermittler vor zwei Jahren erste Versuche gestartet. Inzwischen sei die Methode auch in einigen Strafverfahren angewandt worden, zitiert die NZZ am Sonntag einen Spezialisten für Internetkriminalität. Dabei werde der Mailverkehr eines Verdächtigen überwacht oder eine Datei von dessen Computer kopiert.
Heise: Schweizer Polizei schnüffelt Verdächtige mit Trojanern aus
Mit "Software-Wanzen" und Trojanern schnüffeln Schweizer Ermittler die Computer von Tatverdächtigen aus. Die Neue Zürcher Zeitung berichtet, die Eidgenossen folgten damit neuerdings dem Vorbild des FBI, die schon seit einiger Zeit Überwachungssoftware beispielsweise per E-Mail einschleusen. Dazu hätten Schweizer Ermittler vor zwei Jahren erste Versuche gestartet. Inzwischen sei die Methode auch in einigen Strafverfahren angewandt worden, zitiert die NZZ am Sonntag einen Spezialisten für Internetkriminalität. Dabei werde der Mailverkehr eines Verdächtigen überwacht oder eine Datei von dessen Computer kopiert.
ESSAY
ZMAG: When The Saints Go Marching Out by Arundhati Roy
August 28, 1963 ... forty years later, Martin Luther King Jr.'s words remembered: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: `We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal....'"
THIS is the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington, when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. Perhaps it's time to reflect - again - on what has become of that dream.
It's interesting how icons, when their time has passed, are commodified and appropriated (some voluntarily, others involuntarily) to promote the prejudice, bigotry and inequity they battled against. But then in an age when everything's up for sale, why not icons? In an era when all of humanity, when every creature on God's earth, is trapped between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cheque book and the American cruise missile, can icons stage a getaway?
CHECK IT
ZMAG: When The Saints Go Marching Out by Arundhati Roy
August 28, 1963 ... forty years later, Martin Luther King Jr.'s words remembered: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: `We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal....'"
THIS is the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington, when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. Perhaps it's time to reflect - again - on what has become of that dream.
It's interesting how icons, when their time has passed, are commodified and appropriated (some voluntarily, others involuntarily) to promote the prejudice, bigotry and inequity they battled against. But then in an age when everything's up for sale, why not icons? In an era when all of humanity, when every creature on God's earth, is trapped between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cheque book and the American cruise missile, can icons stage a getaway?
CHECK IT
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Haaretz: There's a wall in the way by Gideon Levy
A little girl in her school uniform, her hair carefully combed, was walking to her first day of school on Monday. Walking to school? Not precisely. There's a wall in the way.
A little girl in her school uniform, her hair carefully combed, was walking to her first day of
school on Monday. Walking to school? Not precisely. There's a wall in the way. Trying to
squeeze between the big cement blocks of this wall besieging her home, she nearly manages to get her
little body through, but not her new school bag. Backing off, she tries a different spot where
people climb over instead of squeezing through. She ducks her head under the barbed wire, puts one
foot across, then the book bag, jumps, lands with a thud and runs - in fear of the Border Police who
could show up momentarily. Eventually she arrives at school, still in one piece.
Welcome to the first grade!
Haaretz: There's a wall in the way by Gideon Levy
A little girl in her school uniform, her hair carefully combed, was walking to her first day of school on Monday. Walking to school? Not precisely. There's a wall in the way.
A little girl in her school uniform, her hair carefully combed, was walking to her first day of
school on Monday. Walking to school? Not precisely. There's a wall in the way. Trying to
squeeze between the big cement blocks of this wall besieging her home, she nearly manages to get her
little body through, but not her new school bag. Backing off, she tries a different spot where
people climb over instead of squeezing through. She ducks her head under the barbed wire, puts one
foot across, then the book bag, jumps, lands with a thud and runs - in fear of the Border Police who
could show up momentarily. Eventually she arrives at school, still in one piece.
Welcome to the first grade!
USA VS. THE WORLD
Guardian: This war on terrorism is bogus by Michael Meacher
The 9/11 attacks gave the US an ideal pretext to use force to secure its global domination
Massive attention has now been given - and rightly so - to the reasons why Britain went to war against Iraq. But far too little attention has focused on why the US went to war, and that throws light on British motives too. The conventional explanation is that after the Twin Towers were hit, retaliation against al-Qaida bases in Afghanistan was a natural first step in launching a global war against terrorism. Then, because Saddam Hussein was alleged by the US and UK governments to retain weapons of mass destruction, the war could be extended to Iraq as well. However this theory does not fit all the facts. The truth may be a great deal murkier.
Michael Meacher MP was environment minister from May 1997 to June 2003
"CHECK IT"
Guardian: This war on terrorism is bogus by Michael Meacher
The 9/11 attacks gave the US an ideal pretext to use force to secure its global domination
Massive attention has now been given - and rightly so - to the reasons why Britain went to war against Iraq. But far too little attention has focused on why the US went to war, and that throws light on British motives too. The conventional explanation is that after the Twin Towers were hit, retaliation against al-Qaida bases in Afghanistan was a natural first step in launching a global war against terrorism. Then, because Saddam Hussein was alleged by the US and UK governments to retain weapons of mass destruction, the war could be extended to Iraq as well. However this theory does not fit all the facts. The truth may be a great deal murkier.
Michael Meacher MP was environment minister from May 1997 to June 2003
"CHECK IT"
USA
Observer: US public thinks Saddam had role in 9/11
Seven in 10 Americans continue to believe that Iraq's Saddam Hussein had a role in the 11 September 2001 attacks, even though the Bush administration and congressional investigators say they have no evidence of this.
Sixty-nine per cent of Americans said they thought it at least likely that Saddam was involved in the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, according to a Washington Post poll published yesterday. That impression, which exists despite the fact that the hijackers were mostly Saudi nationals acting for al-Qaeda, is broadly shared by Democrats, Republicans and independents.
The main reason for the endurance of the apparently groundless belief, experts in public opinion say, is a deep and enduring distrust of Saddam that makes him a likely suspect in anything related to Middle East violence. 'It's very easy to picture Saddam as a demon,' said John Mueller, a political scientist at Ohio State University and an expert on public opinion and war
Observer: US public thinks Saddam had role in 9/11
Seven in 10 Americans continue to believe that Iraq's Saddam Hussein had a role in the 11 September 2001 attacks, even though the Bush administration and congressional investigators say they have no evidence of this.
Sixty-nine per cent of Americans said they thought it at least likely that Saddam was involved in the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, according to a Washington Post poll published yesterday. That impression, which exists despite the fact that the hijackers were mostly Saudi nationals acting for al-Qaeda, is broadly shared by Democrats, Republicans and independents.
The main reason for the endurance of the apparently groundless belief, experts in public opinion say, is a deep and enduring distrust of Saddam that makes him a likely suspect in anything related to Middle East violence. 'It's very easy to picture Saddam as a demon,' said John Mueller, a political scientist at Ohio State University and an expert on public opinion and war
USA: THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY
Washington Post: Lawmakers and Lobbyists Mingle on Trip to London
For most Americans, August is a time for summer vacation. For members of Congress, their aides and some lobbyists, it's a time for privately sponsored junkets.
Few are as inviting as the Ripon Educational Fund excursions, which take politicians and corporate types to various European locales. While the trips are filled with serious policy discussions, they also reveal how corporate interests obtain access to lawmakers through privately sponsored travel.
This month, for example, 20 members of Congress jetted to London for a week-long visit in which they delved into such issues as trade, terrorism and foreign affairs. These politicians had no fear of getting lonely, however: More than 100 lobbyists accompanied them, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
The corporate participants included representatives from American Express, AOL Time Warner, Bristol-Myers Squibb, General Motors and Hewlett-Packard, according to the group's itinerary. Corporate sponsors must pay annual membership fees of $9,500 and fund their own trips abroad.
Washington Post: Lawmakers and Lobbyists Mingle on Trip to London
For most Americans, August is a time for summer vacation. For members of Congress, their aides and some lobbyists, it's a time for privately sponsored junkets.
Few are as inviting as the Ripon Educational Fund excursions, which take politicians and corporate types to various European locales. While the trips are filled with serious policy discussions, they also reveal how corporate interests obtain access to lawmakers through privately sponsored travel.
This month, for example, 20 members of Congress jetted to London for a week-long visit in which they delved into such issues as trade, terrorism and foreign affairs. These politicians had no fear of getting lonely, however: More than 100 lobbyists accompanied them, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
The corporate participants included representatives from American Express, AOL Time Warner, Bristol-Myers Squibb, General Motors and Hewlett-Packard, according to the group's itinerary. Corporate sponsors must pay annual membership fees of $9,500 and fund their own trips abroad.
INTERVIEW
ZNET: Radio Havana Interviews Chomsky
Telephone interview by Bernie Dwyer for www.cubadebate.cu with Professor Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 28th August 2003. The agreed theme of the interview was ‘Corporate Journalism’ but, like all good interviews, the topic spread to take in many other themes - always with the rigorous political analysis that we are used to from Professor Chomsky
ZNET: Radio Havana Interviews Chomsky
Telephone interview by Bernie Dwyer for www.cubadebate.cu with Professor Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 28th August 2003. The agreed theme of the interview was ‘Corporate Journalism’ but, like all good interviews, the topic spread to take in many other themes - always with the rigorous political analysis that we are used to from Professor Chomsky
IRAQ
Ethicsdaily: WCC Calls for U.N. Control in Iraq, Church Aid for Liberia
RNS) The World Council of Churches on Monday called for the “immediate and orderly” withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq and the transfer of power to the United Nations.
The WCC’s Central Committee, ending its eight-day meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, also urged churches to provide humanitarian aid to alleviate the “horrific conditions and untold human sufferings” in Liberia.
In a five-page statement on Iraq, the WCC called the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq “immoral, ill-advised and in breach of the principles of the (United Nations) Charter.”
The WCC said it remains concerned about the “long-term political, social, cultural and religious consequences of this war and the continued occupation, especially the negative impact on Christian-Muslim relations.”
The U.S. occupation of Iraq will exacerbate the “intense hatred towards the Western world, strengthening extremist ideologies (and) breeding further global insecurity and increased emigration of Christians from the Middle East,” the WCC said.
The Geneva-based body of 342 Protestant and Orthodox churches called on American and British forces to pay “full reparations” to the Iraqi people for the war’s damages and urged “unimpeded access” for humanitarian groups.
Ethicsdaily: WCC Calls for U.N. Control in Iraq, Church Aid for Liberia
RNS) The World Council of Churches on Monday called for the “immediate and orderly” withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq and the transfer of power to the United Nations.
The WCC’s Central Committee, ending its eight-day meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, also urged churches to provide humanitarian aid to alleviate the “horrific conditions and untold human sufferings” in Liberia.
In a five-page statement on Iraq, the WCC called the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq “immoral, ill-advised and in breach of the principles of the (United Nations) Charter.”
The WCC said it remains concerned about the “long-term political, social, cultural and religious consequences of this war and the continued occupation, especially the negative impact on Christian-Muslim relations.”
The U.S. occupation of Iraq will exacerbate the “intense hatred towards the Western world, strengthening extremist ideologies (and) breeding further global insecurity and increased emigration of Christians from the Middle East,” the WCC said.
The Geneva-based body of 342 Protestant and Orthodox churches called on American and British forces to pay “full reparations” to the Iraqi people for the war’s damages and urged “unimpeded access” for humanitarian groups.
IRAQ
Independent: US 'corporate invasion' brings no respite from war By Justin Huggler and Seb Walker in Baghdad
Donald Rumsfeld flew to Baghdad yesterday. Not to a skyline bristling with cranes but to a city where there is still no electricity for much of the day because less power is being generated than under Saddam Hussein.
Almost five months after the overthrow of Saddam, entire neighbourhoods are still without phone lines. The government offices bombed in the war are still blackened shells. Next to them stand the burnt-out ruins of ministries and shopping centres set on fire in the looting that followed.
But the US Defence Secretary was unlikely to see those, cocooned in security to keep him from the seething anger against the American occupation. Much of Baghdad is still an armed American camp. The country's infrastructure is in a worse state than it was under Saddam.
One of the accusations levelled at the US invasion was that it was simply paving the way for a subsequent American corporate invasion. But despite billions of dollars of contracts won by American companies, there are no visible signs of reconstruction at all.
"CHECK IT"
Independent: US 'corporate invasion' brings no respite from war By Justin Huggler and Seb Walker in Baghdad
Donald Rumsfeld flew to Baghdad yesterday. Not to a skyline bristling with cranes but to a city where there is still no electricity for much of the day because less power is being generated than under Saddam Hussein.
Almost five months after the overthrow of Saddam, entire neighbourhoods are still without phone lines. The government offices bombed in the war are still blackened shells. Next to them stand the burnt-out ruins of ministries and shopping centres set on fire in the looting that followed.
But the US Defence Secretary was unlikely to see those, cocooned in security to keep him from the seething anger against the American occupation. Much of Baghdad is still an armed American camp. The country's infrastructure is in a worse state than it was under Saddam.
One of the accusations levelled at the US invasion was that it was simply paving the way for a subsequent American corporate invasion. But despite billions of dollars of contracts won by American companies, there are no visible signs of reconstruction at all.
"CHECK IT"
IRAQ
Salon: Would you like some freedom fries with your crow, Mr. President?
Six months after spitting in the face of the world, the Bush administration is crawling on its belly before the U.N. If the world doesn't rush to help it, the White House has only itself to blame.
The Bush administration's humiliating announcement that it wants the U.N. to bail it out officially confers the title of "debacle" upon the grand Cheney-Rove-Wolfowitz adventure. Not even the world-class chutzpah of the Bush administration can conceal the fact that by turning to the despised world body, it is eating a heaping plate of crow. This spectacle may give Bush-bashers from London to Jakarta a happy jolt of schadenfreude, but it does nothing to help Americans who are stuck with the ugly fallout of the administration's ill-conceived, absurdly over-optimistic attempt to redraw the Middle East.
Salon: Would you like some freedom fries with your crow, Mr. President?
Six months after spitting in the face of the world, the Bush administration is crawling on its belly before the U.N. If the world doesn't rush to help it, the White House has only itself to blame.
The Bush administration's humiliating announcement that it wants the U.N. to bail it out officially confers the title of "debacle" upon the grand Cheney-Rove-Wolfowitz adventure. Not even the world-class chutzpah of the Bush administration can conceal the fact that by turning to the despised world body, it is eating a heaping plate of crow. This spectacle may give Bush-bashers from London to Jakarta a happy jolt of schadenfreude, but it does nothing to help Americans who are stuck with the ugly fallout of the administration's ill-conceived, absurdly over-optimistic attempt to redraw the Middle East.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Reuters: Israeli Helicopter Gaza Missile
Attack Injures Nine
GAZA (Reuters) -- Israeli helicopter gunships on Sunday fired at least three missiles at the home of a member of the militant Islamic group Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip.
Nine people were wounded in the strike at the house in the Khan Younis refugee camp, medics said. Before the strike, Palestinian residents said helicopter gunships were flying over the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has vowed to track down and kill militant groups behind a wave of suicide bombings in a three-year-old uprising against Israeli occupation.
"Das war jetzt der achte illegale Mordversuch in den letzten zwei Wochen. Es kann davon ausgegangen werden das die Hamas Vergeltung übt. Sollte die Hamas dazu übergehen Israelische Politiker zu liquidieren oder wieder Busse sprengen, wird das dann als Terror von der schlimmsten Sorte verurteilt und den Palästinensern wird vorgeworfen werden sie wollten keinen Frieden. Israel werden die Vergeltungsaktionen als Ausrede dienen, die Opression nochmals zu eskalieren."
Reuters: Israeli Helicopter Gaza Missile
Attack Injures Nine
GAZA (Reuters) -- Israeli helicopter gunships on Sunday fired at least three missiles at the home of a member of the militant Islamic group Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip.
Nine people were wounded in the strike at the house in the Khan Younis refugee camp, medics said. Before the strike, Palestinian residents said helicopter gunships were flying over the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has vowed to track down and kill militant groups behind a wave of suicide bombings in a three-year-old uprising against Israeli occupation.
"Das war jetzt der achte illegale Mordversuch in den letzten zwei Wochen. Es kann davon ausgegangen werden das die Hamas Vergeltung übt. Sollte die Hamas dazu übergehen Israelische Politiker zu liquidieren oder wieder Busse sprengen, wird das dann als Terror von der schlimmsten Sorte verurteilt und den Palästinensern wird vorgeworfen werden sie wollten keinen Frieden. Israel werden die Vergeltungsaktionen als Ausrede dienen, die Opression nochmals zu eskalieren."
USA: BUSH SPEECH
NY Times: Some Grim News About Iraq: Bush Warns of a Heavy Burden
President Bush's task tonight was to convince the country that the terrible toll of the long, hot, casualty ridden summer in Iraq was a necessary price to pay in a broader struggle against terrorism, and to prepare the electorate for years of occupation, billions more in expense, and many bad days.
His sobering speech to the nation was not the one that the White House was envisioning for the president four months after he declared the end of the "active combat" phase of the war. Even in July, as Mr. Bush prepared for a month at his ranch, his aides were talking optimistically about a fall devoted to transforming Iraq quickly into a model democracy at the heart of the Middle East, and making its transition to a peaceful nation contagious throughout the region.
Independent: Bush asks for £55bn war fund as he woos Europe
President George Bush told the American people "we will spend what is necessary, to achieve victory in the war on terror" and announced he will ask Congress for $87 billion (£55bn) in new funding.
He also called for more international financial and military support. He said two multinational divisions, led by Britain and Poland, are serving alongside the United States, and that American commanders have requested a third multinational division.
NY Times: Some Grim News About Iraq: Bush Warns of a Heavy Burden
President Bush's task tonight was to convince the country that the terrible toll of the long, hot, casualty ridden summer in Iraq was a necessary price to pay in a broader struggle against terrorism, and to prepare the electorate for years of occupation, billions more in expense, and many bad days.
His sobering speech to the nation was not the one that the White House was envisioning for the president four months after he declared the end of the "active combat" phase of the war. Even in July, as Mr. Bush prepared for a month at his ranch, his aides were talking optimistically about a fall devoted to transforming Iraq quickly into a model democracy at the heart of the Middle East, and making its transition to a peaceful nation contagious throughout the region.
Independent: Bush asks for £55bn war fund as he woos Europe
President George Bush told the American people "we will spend what is necessary, to achieve victory in the war on terror" and announced he will ask Congress for $87 billion (£55bn) in new funding.
He also called for more international financial and military support. He said two multinational divisions, led by Britain and Poland, are serving alongside the United States, and that American commanders have requested a third multinational division.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
News24: Amnesty International Slams Israeli Policy
JERUSALEM -- Restrictions imposed by Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have had a disastrous impact on the lives of Palestinians and crippled their economy, a report by Amnesty International said on Monday.
"Unemployment and poverty has spiralled, malnutrition has emerged, anaemia and other health problems have increased and education has been negatively affected," the report by the London-based rights group said.
Sweeping and indiscriminate restrictions on Palestinians and their goods violated their right to freedom of movement and the right to work, it added.
"Some 60 percent of Palestinians now live below the poverty line of $2 per day and most are forced to depend on aid," it said.
"The high levels of unemployment, poverty, malnutrition and other health problems afflicting Palestinians are not just a humanitarian problem -- they are the direct result of the restrictions imposed by Israel on the Palestinians in the occupied territories."
News24: Amnesty International Slams Israeli Policy
JERUSALEM -- Restrictions imposed by Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have had a disastrous impact on the lives of Palestinians and crippled their economy, a report by Amnesty International said on Monday.
"Unemployment and poverty has spiralled, malnutrition has emerged, anaemia and other health problems have increased and education has been negatively affected," the report by the London-based rights group said.
Sweeping and indiscriminate restrictions on Palestinians and their goods violated their right to freedom of movement and the right to work, it added.
"Some 60 percent of Palestinians now live below the poverty line of $2 per day and most are forced to depend on aid," it said.
"The high levels of unemployment, poverty, malnutrition and other health problems afflicting Palestinians are not just a humanitarian problem -- they are the direct result of the restrictions imposed by Israel on the Palestinians in the occupied territories."
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
N-TV: Israelischer Attentatsversuch-Scheich Jassin verletzt
Der Gründer der radikal-islamischen Palästinenser-Organisation, Scheich Ahmed Jassin ist am Samstag nur knapp einem israelischen Raketenangriff entkommen.
Nach palästinensischen Angaben verließen Jassin und ein weiterer Hamas-Führer gerade ein Haus in Gaza-Stadt, als ein israelisches Kampfflugzeug eine Rakete auf das Gebäude abfeuerte. Jassin sei nur leicht verletzt worden, hieß es von Seiten der palästinensischen Rettungsdienste. Auch drei weitere Menschen hätten Verletzungen erlitten. Der Hausbesitzer Marwan Abu Ras, ebenfalls ein hochrangiges Mitglied der Hamas, habe ein Bein verloren.
"Bravo Israel! Jetzt versuchen Sie schon Quadraplegiker zu ermorden"
N-TV: Israelischer Attentatsversuch-Scheich Jassin verletzt
Der Gründer der radikal-islamischen Palästinenser-Organisation, Scheich Ahmed Jassin ist am Samstag nur knapp einem israelischen Raketenangriff entkommen.
Nach palästinensischen Angaben verließen Jassin und ein weiterer Hamas-Führer gerade ein Haus in Gaza-Stadt, als ein israelisches Kampfflugzeug eine Rakete auf das Gebäude abfeuerte. Jassin sei nur leicht verletzt worden, hieß es von Seiten der palästinensischen Rettungsdienste. Auch drei weitere Menschen hätten Verletzungen erlitten. Der Hausbesitzer Marwan Abu Ras, ebenfalls ein hochrangiges Mitglied der Hamas, habe ein Bein verloren.
"Bravo Israel! Jetzt versuchen Sie schon Quadraplegiker zu ermorden"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)